My problems are twofold, and since I plan on calling Mazda on Monday morning, I need some answers quick.

I bought my RX-8 at the end of November. It currently has 4k miles on it, with one dealer oil change. When I bought it I asked to make sure all the flashes were done, and I was told they were. I know that wasn't the case...I believe only the base M flash was done. Upon leaving the dealership, the CEL immediately came on. So I took it back in three days later and got what I call the M.1 flash. About a month later the CEL came on again. Took it back in in between Christmas and New Years. Made a 9AM appointment. By noon, knowing the fix was only a few minutes of work, I bitched a little, found out they hadn't even brought the car in yet. Finally got them to take it in, and it was reflashed with what I'll call M.2. Well, tonight, my CEL has come on for the third time. I'm getting a little tired of wasting a day every month on this stupid problem...so my questions are these:

1) Has anyone else needed a third post-M reflash?

2) Has anyone gotten any free stuff (oil changes, parts, any type of compensation) for having to consistantly bring their car back? (I know there is a lemon law, which I thought was having to return the car 3 times in six months for the same problem...which sounds apt in this case, and while I'm sure there are probably outs for Mazda here because of the whole reflashing thing, I would like to know if anyone has broched the subject with Mazda.)

3) I'm also having the dipstick issue, and I'm wondering if maybe there is a connection. I checked my oil today, and it was at half way between the two lines on my dipstick, so I immediately put a quart of oil in. After which upon driving the CEL came on. Did I put too much in? How much oil does the car hold, and is half way on the dipstick accurate to that capacity? And would an overfill of oil cause the thrown CEL?

Thanks for listening to my ramble, and any help is greatly appreciated.

 

Without the codes there is no way to tell. They could all be the same codes...ie a recurring fault that they haven't fixed. Or it could be different codes/causes for each. It could be as simple as a gas cap thing, or the buggy software.......or something much more complex. Hope you have a good mechanic/dealership, and work with them to get it fixed.

Did you tighten the oil fill lid?.............:D If its loose...the cell should go away in two drive cycles after you tighten it up

 

Oil overfills do not cause CEL. Many of the dealers have a habit of overfilling. Mine was delivered overfilled and was likewise overfilled on each of two oil changes at the dealership.

The halfway mark on the dipstick is probably only about 3/4 of a quart. I believe that the high mark to low mark is 1.8 quarts.

Have you read the threads about the M flash being released then put on hold? You might want to read up on that before going in to the dealer again.

As far as lemon law, there is usually a minimum amount of time that the car would have to be out of service, not just out for the same repair. If the dealer records showed that the codes were different each time they would have proof that you had 3 different problems. A CEL in and of itself is not the problem, it is the notification of a problem.

As far as getting free stuff, it depends upon the dealer. The service writers and managers don't want to give stuff away that they can charge for. Pay a visit to the customer relations manager. They are empowered to offer freebies if justified.

 

Okay, thanks. Wanted to rule out that being the cause of the CEL.

Yeah, I've read alot on it. As far as I know, the car had the M flash when I got it and has been updated twice, unless I was mislead, because I specifically asked about it when I bought the car.

Yeah, I didn't really think it applied in this situation, but I wanted to make sure. And I don't know if the codes were the same both times I've been in, but the response was the same: update the flash.

Thanks for your info. One of my main concerns in this whole thing is if this keeps happening. I've had the car less than 2 months, and this will be my third service call. Previously I had a Mustang, and I never took that in, and it had almost 100k miles. While I understand the RX is a different beast, this is a little much.

 

i've heard rumors of the oil level sensor working backwards. going off when the engine is full. some owner's have had problems with the oil pan also. maybe someone can fill in my blanks.